Pacific Spirit Regional Park

Located on the west side of the city of Vancouver, the Pacific Spirit Regional Park offers a network of trails contained in more than 750 hectares of forest. The trails in the park are popular with local residents and accessible year-round.

The best way to see the park is to view the park map and determine your own route. However, we will follow a common route that will take you on a 3-hour trip through much of the forest.

Start the trail at a gate from 16th Avenue next to Camosun Park and walk into the forest. A short distance at the first intersection, turn left and continue along the trail until you come to Imperial Road. Turn right and walk a short distance along the road until you reach a big sign with a map of the park area. Walk past the sign and follow Imperial Trail for five minutes before turning left onto Hemlock Trail. Follow this trail as it passes the Sasamat Trail and eventually reaches a junction with the Clinton Trail. Turn right and follow the Clinton Trail, be careful of mountain bikers and horseback riders who also share the multi-use trails in this section of the park.

Once at a clearing, where you can hear the traffic along SW Marine Drive, take the Salish Trail to the right and disappear back into the peaceful forest. This section of the park borders an ecological reserve and signs along the route instruct trail users to stay on the paths and keep their dogs out of the ecologically sensitive creeks. As you walk, soak up the beautiful sights and smells of the Hemlock, Cedar, and Maple Leaf trees.

The Salish Trail again meets up with the Imperial Trail underneath the power lines. Turn left and stay to your left as the trail forks a short distance later. After 10 minutes or so of walking, you reach an intersection with the Sword Fern Trail. Head right and take this trail. In the winter months, this trail can have large sections that are covered in mud.

At the junction, continue straight along the Sword Fern Trail (also called the Iva Mann Trail) and go left on the Salish Trail towards 16th Avenue. At this point, you can end your hike by heading to your right back along 16th Avenue to where you started. To continue hiking, cross 16th Avenue, being careful of oncoming traffic, and enter the forest on the other side.

Continue walking along the Salish Trail and take a right on Fork Trail. Walk under the power lines and keep going straight. Just after the power lines, go right and follow the Lily Valley Trail. On your right, you will see some of the largest stumps in the Pacific Spirit Regional Park left over from logging that took place in the early part of the 1900's. When the trail meets with the Salish Trail, turn right and head back towards 16th Avenue.

Back on 16th Avenue, you can again decide to end your day here and walk east (left) towards where you started. To continue through the forest, cross 16th Avenue and continue on the Salal Trail. Turn left on Cleveland Trail, left on Nature Trail, and right on Deer Fern Trail. Walk past large Douglas Fir trees as you head towards the Huckleberry Trail. A short walk along the Huckleberry Trail to the trailhead and you have returned to where you started earlier in the day.